Stamford, CT: Covid, Murder Hornets, and snow in May; 2020 can F the F off already. I can’t even pretend to write about sports today. Wake me when something happens. Instead I present, A Review of Five Shows I’ve Binged During the Great Pandemic.*

*Dramatization: I may not have watched all of them.

The Last Dance

Just wow. Well, actually, I have not seen this yet, but I can’t wait.

Hey jackass, why are you including this if you didn’t see it?

So I can pretend this is sports related. Duh. Let’s move on.

Ben Says: Dunno Yet

Tiger King

The first two episodes were off the charts in train wreck entertainment value. What an utterly bizarre cast of meth heads and weirdos. Too bad it lost its shock value pretty quickly and I started feeling gross after, like when your porn browsing takes a weird turn. I hung around to see if Carole F’n Baskin fed her hubby to the tigers but we never got the answer. Spoiler alert: She did.

Ben Says: Skip It

Homeland

The biggest flaw of this show is the main character is a CIA agent who is CONSTANTLY insubordinate and never does what she’s supposed to do. But somehow, they keep sending her into the most delicate global situations.

It’s like watching a horror movie where they keep making terrible decisions. But if you pushed that aside, you were treated to a thrilling final season. Carrie was put on a riveting collision course with her mentor Saul, and forced to choose between him and her country. It was a satisfying conclusion.

Ben Says: Do It

The Good Place

We stumbled onto this while looking for a light comedy to pass the time and not think about death counts. We could’ve done a lot worse. The show stars Kristen Bell as a trashy Arizonian who dies and is accidentally sent to heaven. This is easy watching with a lot of clever sex jokes and ethical quandaries. Bell is a good fit as a terrible person trying to be better.

Ben Says: Do It

Final faceThe Americans

The Americans

I’m not even done with the first season and I’m hooked like Pookie from New Jack City. Some shows just suck you right in, slamming you into the action while subtlety providing enough backstory so you feel like you are in it after just one episode. And Felicity is damn hot, while embarking on un-Felicity-ous behaviors.

Ben Says: Do It

That’s it for me. Tell me if you’ve found any hidden gems in the comments.

Ben Whitney comes from journalistic stock. Aside from his brothers, rumor has that his great-great grandfather was the youngest brother of Eli Whitney and covered the earliest "rounders" games. Big Ben is also another New York Rugby Club player/pal of Different Matt, Short Matt and Junoir Blaber. He likes film noir discussions, has twin girls and took up ice hockey after retiring from rugby.